


Shadowing

by youcouldmakealife



Series: Impaired Judgment (and other excuses) [96]
Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 15:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youcouldmakealife/pseuds/youcouldmakealife
Summary: “Oh my god, that was like our first date,” Bryce says. “I can’t believe you’re still holding it over my head.”“I will hold it over your head for the rest of our lives, for real,” Jared says.Bryce grins, which is not the acceptable response to a threat of lifelong humiliation, but he gets all mushy when the future gets involved.





	Shadowing

Jared wakes up way later than usual on Christmas morning, which may have something to do with him reading a wedding planning book until like, three in the morning, making notes on his phone of things to look up when it wasn’t the middle of the night.

His wake-up call is Elaine yelling, “Boys, we have to get a move on if you want breakfast before we go to Don and Susan’s.” Bryce is reading beside him, which isn’t exactly his usual. Jared’s trying to remember the last time he saw Bryce reading a book. It was a hockey stats one, he’s pretty sure. Non-hockey book? Never.

“Why’d you let me sleep so late?” Jared asks.

“Busy planning our wedding,” Bryce says, not looking up from his book. Jared’s book is still on the bedside table, so Jared guesses Elaine stuffed both their stockings with one. “How’s summer sound?”

“Like the only time I’ll be home for an extended period of time,” Jared says.

“Yeah,” Bryce says.

“Bryce,” Elaine calls.

“Planning our wedding, mom,” Bryce calls back.

“Oh good, Santa was so thoughtful,” Elaine says through the door, and Bryce rolls his eyes, but he’s grinning.

“Coffee?” Jared asks.

“Yeah, thanks,” Bryce says, and Jared gets up to go make some, finds Julius rooting through a stocking of his own on the couch, bleary eyed, hair a mess of bedhead.

“You?” he asks doubtfully.

“Elaine,” Jared says.

“Ooh, Snickers,” Julius says, and unwraps it.

“That’s not breakfast,” Jared says.

Julius eyes him.

Jared eyes him back.

Julius takes a bite of Snickers, and Jared rolls his eyes and goes to make coffee.

When Jared returns to his room with two mugs of coffee, Bryce is chewing something. Fucking christ.

“Are you eating chocolate?” Jared asks.

“No,” Bryce says, and swallows.

“There’s chocolate on your mouth,” Jared says.

“No there isn’t,” Bryce says, which is true, but only because he just wiped said mouth with the back of his hand.

How is Jared the only responsible person in this apartment? He’d include Elaine, except she provided the chocolate, so.

“I’m going to be so mad at all of you if nobody eats breakfast,” Jared says. 

They eat, but like, barely. Toast and peanut butter isn’t Jared’s masterpiece by any sense of the word, but he gets zero enthusiasm when he suggests omelettes, so that’s what all those chocolate eaters are getting.

“I thought you liked chocolate with your eggs,” Jared says after crappy breakfast. Elaine says no presents until they’re all dressed, and it took Jared like, a minute, but Bryce is taking forever mulling over sweaters.

“Oh my god, that was like our first date,” Bryce says. “I can’t believe you’re still holding it over my head.”

“I will hold it over your head for the rest of our lives, for real,” Jared says.

Bryce grins, which is not the acceptable response to a threat of lifelong humiliation, but he gets all mushy when the future gets involved. “Green or red?”

“Green one looks good on you,” Jared says, then, “Hey,” when Bryce grabs the red one. “Way to listen to my input. That one sucks.”

“You gave it to me,” Bryce argues.

“Well obviously my taste is suspect,” Jared says.

“If your taste’s suspect, then you’re wrong about the green one too,” Bryce says.

Well. Fuck.

“Fine, wear the stupid sweater I got you,” Jared says.

“I will,” Bryce says.

“Fine,” Jared says.

“Fine,” Bryce says.

“That’s a really nice sweater, Bear,” Elaine says when they come out.

“Thanks,” Bryce says. “Jared got it for me.”

Jared gives him the finger when Elaine looks away, but Bryce just laughs at him. 

“Your stockings were your presents,” Elaine says, once Bryce has buried her under a pile of presents. She might need to buy another suitcase to get it back to Vancouver. Unless there’s a suitcase from Bryce in there too. Jared wouldn’t put it past him. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course,” Jared says. “You’re like, the only reason we’re actually getting our asses in gear planning the wedding, so.”

“I was worried Bryce would beg me to do everything,” Elaine says, which: credible worry, honestly. Shame they hadn’t thought of that. Probably not fair to her, though, so Jared _guesses_ they can plan their own wedding.

“Okay,” Elaine says, clapping her hands, and Jared’s reminded of like, a very cheerful kindergarten teacher. “We’ve got to get a move on if we don’t want to be late, so presents.”

There’s a lot for both of them to get through, because Bryce is Bryce, but they power through them. Jared’s got a suit to bring back to Edmonton that’s nicer than all the ones he has there, down to new dress shoes, and he manfully does not complain that Bryce needs to quit spending what is probably a lot of money because Elaine and Julius are there, and also because like, he does need game day suits, so it’s not like it’s something totally unnecessary. Plus it is actually really nice.

Julius totally makes the surprised face Jared was expecting from him when he opens the sweater he demanded Jared buy him.

“Very nice,” he says. “Good choice.”

Jared rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I’ve got great taste.”

“You do,” Julius says, then hands over the present he bought Jared, which is a few video games he probably wanted himself and then decided he’d rather play at Jared’s place. That seems very Julius. At least they’re multiplayer ones?

“I’m never going to get rid of you now, am I?” Jared asks.

Julius shrugs.

The mountain of presents Bryce provided Elaine kind of puts Jared’s one gift for her to shame — hell, he can’t even see it in that pile — but apparently Bryce put ‘love Jared and Bryce’ on all of them, because he’s a dork. Jared hastily adds ‘& Bryce’ to all the presents he got his parents and Erin while everyone gets ready to leave, feels like a tool for not doing it in the first place, since that’s the sort of thing you do in relationships, especially like, married ones.

The thought has him undoing the chain around his neck, sliding his engagement ring on, because he’d forgotten to do it when they got there, all caught up in the anxiety of Julius’ response.

“Hey,” Jared says, tugging on Bryce’s stupid red sweater arm before he can follow Elaine and Julius out the door. “Can you wear something for me?” 

“I told you, I like this sweater,” Bryce protests.

“No,” Jared says, tugging Bryce’s chain out from under said stupid sweater. 

“Oh,” Bryce says, then, “Only if you wear yours.”

“Already set,” Jared says, holding his hand up.

“Okay,” Bryce says, grinning.

The sparkles truly are blinding. If Jared’s dad says a single snide thing about the ring Jared is going to go off on him, he doesn’t care if it’s Christmas.

It’s like the Jared Matheson Sweater Brigade, marching into his parents’ house, since Julius donned his own present. Elaine is Jared provided sweater free, but considering she’s wearing the gloves Jared got her for Christmas last year, he’s pretty sure she counts.

It’s…kind of adorable, but he’s not saying that out loud.

They’re apparently not the only ones in the Jared Matheson Sweater Brigade. His dad opens the door wearing one of those Oilers ugly Christmas sweaters Jared is far too used to by now — Fitzgerald wore one almost every day running up to Christmas — and Jared squints at it, trying to figure out if it’s like, Jared support, or to bug Bryce, or what.

“I can’t believe you willingly put on orange and blue,” Jared says.

“Your sister got it for me,” his dad says. “And I figure if I’m going to wear something Oilers, it may as well be ugly.”

“Hey,” Jared says, Julius making an offended noise beside him.

“Sorry Julius, I grew up a Flames fan,” his dad says, then winks. He fucking _winks_. What the hell.

His dad apparently wasn’t kidding at all about yesterday’s dinner being ‘casual’ or whatever — or, he absolutely was, because it wasn’t, but the entire kitchen has been invaded by more pots and pans than Jared thought they had, and his dad is running around like an utter maniac among them. At least he isn’t grilling outside again? 

His dad somehow recruits Julius to help, which is ridiculous, because Jared has never seen Julius cook in his life. But then, he doesn’t think Julius has ever seen him cook either, and he’s not bad at it, so maybe it’s one of those secret depths things. By the look of extreme concentration on Julius’ face as he chops vegetables, like if he looks away for a second he’ll fuck it up, Jared doesn’t think it is.

“Hey Jared,” his dad says, mid-telling Julius about the whole menu — Julius nods along but Jared’s pretty sure he’s getting half of it, max — and Jared bolts, because he knows that voice, and if he sticks around he’ll spend the entire afternoon playing sous chef. He finds his mom and Erin with Bryce and Elaine in the living room. They look distinctly like they’re hiding.

“He recruited Julius for prep,” Jared says.

“Oh good,” his mom says, with audible relief. Definitely hiding.

“I’m kind of worried Julius is going to chop off his fingers,” Jared says. That would definitely lower their minimal playoff chances to nonexistent. “Guy did not look like he knew what he was doing.”

“You could help,” his mom says.

Jared goes and sits beside Bryce. 

“What a loyal friend,” she says dryly.

“We eat too much takeout, this is good practice for him,” Jared says, and leans on Bryce’s shoulder. “Dad’s lost his mind.”

“Jared,” his mom says, but not like she’s disagreeing at all.

“I’m excited for dinner, I’m sure it’ll be delicious,” Elaine says, ever the diplomat.

“I’m sure,” his mom says. “Would you like a glass of wine, anyone?”

“That’d be wonderful,” Elaine says.

“Erin, can you go get us the wine from the fridge?” his mom asks. “The Australian one.”

Erin gives her a baleful look, like she knows she’s just been sacrificed to the kitchen gods, but she makes it safely back after a minute.

“I think dad’s trying to adopt Julius,” Erin tells him in an undertone. “You should probably save him.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jared says, and goes to peek in, finding his dad speaking very confidentially to Julius, who’s nodding along. 

Jared considers.

They look like they’re having a good conversation, it’d be rude to interrupt.

“Coward,” Erin says, from where she’s stolen his spot beside Bryce, and squawks but moves when Jared plants himself right between them and takes his spot back. It’s a little too squishy on the couch now, but whatever. His Bryce, his spot.

Erin’s Bryce’s shadow all afternoon, though. Jared doesn’t think she’s ever further than a few feet away from him. Bryce grabs a drink from the kitchen? Erin’s suddenly thirsty. Bryce goes to help mom bring some presents downstairs? Erin is uncharacteristically helpful. Hey, does Bryce want to come to her room to see the present she got from their grandma? No, don’t get up, Jared, you’re talking to Elaine, I’ll just show Bryce. It’s weird. Jared doesn’t like it.

He manages to corner her during a rare alone moment, waiting in the hall while she’s in the bathroom.

“What’s with the shadowing Bryce around?” Jared asks when she comes out. “Do you have a crush on him again or something?”

“I never had a crush on him,” Erin says, but that is totally undermined by the way she’s gone red, and her voice is like an octave higher than usual.

“Very convincing,” Jared says. “A-plus, totally believe you.”

She rolls her eyes. “Dad is like, practically ready to beg Julius to marry you instead,” she says. “And it’s clearly bugging Bryce, and I totally get why, so I figured he should know at least _one_ of us likes him best. Don’t do it.”

That last bit is muffled against his chest, because it’s too late, he’s doing it.

“You’re a way better sister-in-law than you are a sister,” Jared says fondly.

“I will punch you,” Erin says, still muffled, and then does, but she pulled it. It’s practically a hug too.

Bryce comes up when the punches turn into pinching, and Jared maliciously ruffling her hair.

“Aww,” he says. “It must be nice having siblings.”

“It’s the worst,” they say pretty much in unison, and then Erin elbows him in the side and escapes back into the bathroom to fix her hair.

Bryce is smiling a little still, but it fades when she shuts the door. “Can I talk to you a sec?”

“Yeah, ‘course,” Jared says. 

“Your room?” Bryce says, and Jared nods, follows Bryce to it, shutting the door, because no one has boundaries in this house.

“Is it my dad?” Jared asks.

“No,” Bryce says, in a way that kind of says ‘I’m used to him being a dick to me, so no’.

“Erin being your weirdass shadow?” Jared asks.

Bryce smiles a bit, like he’s happy to have a weirdass shadow, so nope, not that either.

“I don’t think he likes me,” Bryce says, and it’s kind of obvious who he means. “Like I tried to help in the kitchen but they were both like — he keeps giving me these _looks_.”

“That’s just his face,” Jared says, though honestly it kind of isn’t. It’s close, but Bryce isn’t actually wrong. But maybe it’s not surprising Julius doesn’t? There’s the Flames thing, and then, _Jared_ didn’t like Bryce when he met him, and a lot of that was that Bryce had his dumb douchey front, but a lot of that was that Jared was kind of a judgmental kid. And Julius is judgmental as fuck, and only a year older than Jared was then, so.

“You _were_ a judgmental kid?” Bryce says, when Jared says as much.

“Hey,” Jared says, but he knows himself. And he’s got all these stupid people in his life who believe in ‘real talk’ and ‘not pretending Jared doesn’t have faults’. Thanks mom and dad. “I’m a judgmental adult now.”

Bryce snorts. “So’s he, then,” he says.

“He’s just uncomfortable,” Jared says. “Like, he’s uncomfortable with pretty much everyone but me, this isn’t a you specific thing. I’d be uncomfortable as hell crashing someone’s Christmas, so.”

“Okay,” Bryce says, kind of doubtfully, and maybe that’s fair because Julius has been like, chumming it up with his dad for hours, but it’s not like anyone gave him a choice in that. Jared’s pretty sure if he had one he’d be glued to Jared’s side right now, like he is at team stuff, which would probably be getting to Bryce even more.

“Mom, Jared’s door is shut!” Erin calls from the hallway. Stupid Bryce shadowing; Jared doesn’t care how nice the reasoning is, it’s annoying.

“Jared’s a fucking adult and also engaged!” Jared calls back.

“Mom, Jared swore at me!” Erin yells.

“You swear all the time, Erin!” he can hear dimly from downstairs. His mom’s the best. “Bryce and Jared, come downstairs and be social!”

Never mind. 

“I’ll talk to him,” Jared says. 

“If you can pry him away from your dad,” Bryce mumbles.

“I’m sorry about him,” Jared says. 

Bryce shrugs, another ‘I’m used to it’, which Jared hates. 

“Wanna head back down, start bounce wedding ideas off our moms?” Jared asks. “And like, Erin, Erin will definitely have opinions, but they’ll probably be ridiculous. She’ll tell us to like, ride horses down the aisle or something.”

“Okay,” Bryce says, and smiles a little when Jared takes his left hand, rubs his finger over the stupid scratch of the billion diamonds, before tangling their fingers and leading him back downstairs.


End file.
